Coarsening dynamics of a quasi–one-dimensional driven lattice gas

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2002 EDP Sciences
, , Citation J. T. Mettetal et al 2002 EPL 58 653 DOI 10.1209/epl/i2002-00399-6

0295-5075/58/5/653

Abstract

We study domain growth properties of two species of particles executing biased diffusion on a half-filled square lattice, consisting of just two lanes. Driven in opposite directions by an external "electric" field, the particles form clusters due to steric hindrance. While strictly one-dimensional systems remain disordered, clusters in our "quasi-1D" case grow until only a single macroscopic cluster survives. In the coarsening regime, the average cluster size increases significantly faster than in purely diffusion-controlled systems, with an effective exponent of at least 0.6. Remarkably, however, the cluster size distribution displays dynamic scaling, following a form consistent with a diffusion-limited growth mechanism.

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10.1209/epl/i2002-00399-6